Pulling The Plugs

The problem is very close spacing of the the plug sockets to the bike frame. Because of the close spacing, the plug wrench in the toolkit works the best. Some have had problems with the front left and rear right plugs, trying to insert and remove the plug wrench into the openings. It's not difficult, but requires non-linear thinking. 

Insert the open end of the wrench into the opening at an angle, then angle the wrench straight up as you slide it down into the opening, until it meets the top of the plug, then push down lightly until the plug is seated in the rubber grommet inside the wrench. Use the 17mm wrench in the toolkit to loosen the plug, then lift the wrench (with plug now attached) straight up. As the wrench comes up to meet a close body part, continue to lift and begin to angle the wrench away from the bike. This will allow the clearance to lift the wrench (with plug attached) out of the engine.

Once the plugs are out you can examine them for their condition. See the plug reading page.

The last time I pulled mine, during the last rejet (for these pics mostly), they looked very much like they always do. A medium grey color on the electrode, and the blackish ring on the end of the treads. The electrode color is good, and the blackish ring on the end of the threads is from the setting of the idle air mixture screws. To get rid of the popping on decel, the off throttle mixture needs to be quite rich. it doesn't hurt the plugs, it just looks funny.

You may notice that one side of the electrode is darker than the opposite side, and that has mainly to do with how the two plugs in the cylinder fire. it is very common for one side to have color and the other side to not have color. Again, there's nothing wrong, it just looks funny.

To reinstall the plugs, just reverse the above procedure. Start with the wrench angled away from the bike, and as you slide the plug down into the opening, begin to straighten the wrench straight up, and so on.